Prepared for Greatness

Mia Sinohui is not your typical high school student. As a freshman who competes on the Varsity Swim Team, an honors student making excellent grades, and a confident young woman of outstanding character, she tends to stand out amongst her peers. But for Mia, success didn’t magically appear the day she entered St. Mary’s Catholic High School in Phoenix.

A new, eye-opening experience

Mia Sinohui is not your typical high school student. As a freshman who competes on the Varsity Swim Team, an honors student making excellent grades, and a confident young woman of outstanding character, she tends to stand out amongst her peers. But for Mia, success didn’t magically appear the day she entered St. Mary’s Catholic High School in Phoenix. It came through years of hard work, discipline, and training by her parents and other mentors. Legacy Traditional School was there all along the way watching Mia develop those amazing qualities.

“The teachers were completely genuine and they really had the students’ best interests at heart.”

Before her family discovered Legacy, Mia didn’t feel quite like the successful student she is now. “She really felt very timid and afraid,” says her mother. “And Legacy was just this whole new eye-opening experience for her. The teachers were completely genuine and they really had the students’ best interests at heart. If there was ever something happening, they were the first ones to send that email– ‘Hey, we want to touch base about this.’ And I think she really needed as many positive and supportive people in her corner to show her that she was capable. A turning point for Mia came when she was given opportunities for public speaking at Legacy. Whether it was reciting poetry in front of her class, delivering an election speech when she ran for vice president, or addressing a large audience at her 8th grade promotion, chances for improving her public speaking skills came up often at Legacy. “It sounds really scary,” Mia confesses, “but it’s a very good skill that I now use almost every day.”

Traditional, back to basics approach

It was Legacy’s traditional, back to basics approach to education that originally attracted the Sinohuis to the school. Knowing that Mia needed to be pushed and challenged because she was a fast learner, they decided that it would be a good fit for their daughter. “When you start to see these projects that your child is putting in all this extra effort for because they want to, you know that they feel valued,” said her mother. Mia credits Legacy’s high academic standards for setting the tone for her future success. Learning cursive writing, in-depth grammar, and proper essay writing are a few of the traditional academic skills she developed while at Legacy. Aside from academics, the Sinohui family knew that they wanted their daughters to attend a school where the values they taught in their home would be reinforced. “Something as simple as showing true patriotism for our country and the pledge of allegiance; a moment of silence,” Mia’s father said. “You’re not going to get that in a lot of schools and that might seem minor, but it was huge to us.”

“We knew we had made the right choice when Mia would come home and share about her day and it fit with our family’s values.”

Looking to the future

Legacy’s emphasis on citizenship and respect have stayed with her as she has entered high school. Now she volunteers with a women’s healthcare crisis center as well as with youth groups and organizations that support homeless people. “At Legacy, I learned to respect others and to have self-respect. That has helped me today to be a good community member; to respect those who are in need.”

Mia plans to continue her pattern of hard work and dedication throughout high school and beyond. She hopes to attend Franciscan University of Steubenville and pursue a degree in Youth Ministry or Theology. Whatever she decides to do, one thing is certain: the confidence and character that Mia has worked to develop from the time she was young will serve her well throughout her life.